Day centre transport affected by snow

Julie Magee

Transport is not running to two of Clitheroe’s day centres today (Friday) because of the adverse weather.

Lancashire County Council’s Travelcare service has not been able to operate because of the snow and poor weather conditions. This means that its buses are unable to take people with various social care needs to and from Pendleton Brook and Mearley Fold in Clitheroe.

Social care teams have identified people with priority needs and alternative arrangements have been made to ensure they receive the care they need while the day centre transport is unavailable.

The Travelcare service is scheduled to continue operating as usual on Monday if not affected by the weather.

Meanwhile, North West Ambulance Service is asking residents to take care in the snowy conditions.

With the adverse weather conditions slowing down response times, the Trust is urging the public to only phone the service when necessary and to look after family members along with elderly neighbours.

Ged Blezard, acting director of operations, said: “The severe weather is having a huge impact on the service as we, like all other road users, have to negotiate the hazardous driving conditions. There is always an increase in the number of road traffic collisions and falls and therefore I ask that the public only undertake journeys when necessary. If you do need to travel, make sure you are prepared for extended journey times.

“The service is well prepared for these weather conditions with all our vehicles fitted with winter tyres and 50 per cent of them operational 4X4s. We will be working with our partner agencies such as the Mountain Rescue Service in order to get our patients the right care as quickly as possible. We would urge the public to think before dialling 999, but people should not be afraid to ring us if they believe they need emergency assistance.

“However, we want to remind everyone that ambulance services are not there simply to transport people to a healthcare centre or hospital. The Trust’s crews are specially trained in dealing with trauma and life-threatening cases, and this is where their expertise should be focused on. The most life threatening incidents cannot wait, we need to get treatment to these patients as quickly as possible without having to divert from others that can be easily treated elsewhere. Please take care and make the right call.”

The Trust has a campaign encouraging the public to #MakeTheRightCall and use the ambulance service appropriately. For more information on the campaign please go to the following link: http://www.maketherightcall.co.uk/